Regional identity refers to the region within a country a person identifies with. The document examines several regional identities in England through stereotypes, including Scousers from Liverpool, Cockneys from London, Pikeys referring to Irish people, Brummies from Birmingham, Scots, and Welsh. It tasks students to research how a British soap opera represents regional identity through characters, dialogue, and settings, and whether the TV drama supports or challenges common stereotypes associated with each region.

1. Regional Identity
What is it?
What Regional Identities does England
have?
How do TV Dramas use Regional Identity

3. Regional Identity - What is it
• The notion that part of a person’s identity is
root not only in the country they are from
but also in the region that live in
• Stereotypical
• Can be offensive

4. Scouser
• From Liverpool (and looks scummy)
• Strong Liverpool accent - "we do dat doe
dont we doe?"
• Big football Fans (often violent)
• Come with knives, tracksuits or shell suits
• High Crime
• Lower Class.
• Up for a laugh and parties

5. Cockney
• From London – the east of London in particular
• Great contrast between Rich and Poor – Cockney
is mostly associated with working classes
• Associated with guns and stabbings
• ‘Top Boys’ who do con jobs
• Use of hoddies
• Cockney rhyming slang - "telephone" is replaced
by "dog" (= 'dog-and-bone'); "wife" by "trouble"
(= 'trouble-and-strife'); feet" by "plates" (=
'plates of meat').

6. Pikeys
• Normally referring to Irish people
and not a favourable term
• Drunkards
• Gypsies
• A bit stupid (think of jokes)
• Associated with thieving and other petty crime
(esp fighting)
• Lower class
• a unintelligible language that "isn't English, it
isn't Irish, it's just Pikey" (Snatch)

7. Brummies
• From Birmingham
• Not very clever at all!!!
• Strange way of speaking
• Very common in the way they behave
• A bit ‘dodgy’
• The Original Chavs….

8. The Scots
• Tight fisted
• Hate the English
• All have ginger hair and very pale skin (with
freckles)
• Very Proud Heritage
• Bad Weather
• Associated with kilts, bagpipes and Whiskey

9. The Welsh
• Vast Countryside
• ‘Sheep shaggers’
• Very strong accent
• They all ‘live in the valley’
• Passionate about Rugby
• Leeks……
• Great singers
• Tight knit community

10. Others?

11. Your task
• Working in your production groups you need to
research a set soap and explore the way they
represent Regional Identity.
• You must prepare a presentation
(keynote/powerpoint) that discusses the
Regional Identity of your soap (what are they,
how are they shown, what ‘messages are there,
does the TVD support/challenge stereotypes)
• You need to include at least on youtube clip,
images from the TVD and produce a one page
summary of you finding for the class.